A growing issue for industry is the ongoing implementation of EHS laws in different jurisdictions that have similar goals but different requirements. Lack of global harmonization may cause unnecessary cost and effort and create unintended barriers to compliance through the resulting complexity. An example of this is the proliferation of RoHS-like legislation.

RoHS-like Laws in Different Jurisdications

David Ling, Manufacturers’ View on RoHS-like Regulations, presented at 6th Conference on Standards and Conformance, Da Nang, Vietnam, 5-6 September 2006.
Mr. Ling is the Regulatory Policy and Strategy Manager, Worldwide Technical Regulations for HP. To download this presentation, go to the APEC site (http://www.apec.org/) and search on “David Ling”

Sections 57018, 57019, and 57020 of the Health and Safety Code, (formerly Environmental Health Bill, AB 289) Enacted in September, 2006, it authorizes state agencies to request from chemical manufacturers the test methods for detecting their chemicals in air, water, soil, and the human body. It shifts the cost of developing the methods to locate these chemicals from taxpayers to the manufacturers profiting from the product. California is the first state in the country with such a law.

CB Schemeby Worldwide System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrical Equipment (IECEE)

“China RoHS”

Key Documents to Guide Implementation of “China RoHS”

Comments

Note: English translations are all unofficial. The Chinese government only publishes these legal documents in Chinese. If a discrepancy occurs between an English translation and the original Chinese document, the Chinese version takes precedence.

Details for implementing those provisions of “China RoHS” that must be implemented are contained in eight standards, three of which have been published as of January 2007.
English translation provided by AeA.
The China RoHS label images are available here.

Draft standard, “General Rule of Environmentally Friendly Use Period of Electronic Information Products,”
(NOTE: SEMI members can access by clicking link to this document from “Latest in EHS News” on EHS home page.)

This document is expected to be finalized before March 1, 2007.
“Environmentally Friendly Use Period” (EFUP) is also translated as “Environmental Protection Use Period” (EPUP).
Please advise Sanjay Baligaif you are aware of a publicly available English translation of this document.

SEMI members are invited to email Sanjay Baligato be put on the SEMI mailing list for updated information on this topic, and for access to a SEMI-members only private web site with additional information on “China RoHS”.

Commercial sources of “China RoHS” Guidance Notes/FAQs. CAUTION: Inclusion of a vendor on this list is not in any way an endorsement by SEMI.
* China RoHS Guidance Notes, RoHS-International, January 2006

Commercial sources of translated key documents. CAUTION: Inclusion of a vendor on this list is not in any way an endorsement by SEMI, nor does SEMI have any opinion on the quality of the translations:
* From Design Chain Associates* From SIEMIC, Inc.* From SIMCON, a complete bundle of China RoHS key documents

NOTE: Final versions of three “China RoHS” standards have been approved by the minister of the MII (“Marking for the Control of Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products”, SJ/T11364-2006; “Requirements for Concentration Limits for Certain Hazardous Substances in Electronic Information Products”, SJ/T11363-2006; and “Testing Methods for Regulated Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products”, SJ/T11365-2006) and were published on December 1. They are available in hardcopy in Chinese. For purchase details, go to:
http://www.mii.gov.cn/art/2006/11/14/art_1221_26861.html
http://www.sj.cesi.cn/stan-cd/fxdg/dgms.htmor contact the China Electronics Standardization Institute(CESI) directly at:
+86-10-84029065, or +86-10-84029217.

New Approach Directives and StandardsThe European Union has adopted a New Approach to technical harmonization and standards to ensure free movement of goods throughout member countries. This site provides detailed information on these directives and standards, including update dates.

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